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Front Bimini came off

You may want to check with your dealer for recommendations but ours recommends trailering with the motor just resting on the trim cylinders. Unless you have a Yamaha MyWedge (or the aftermarket equivalent). We use that and absolutely love it.
 
dannyleininger said:
Here’s a couple more photos. The first one shows how much lower the front bimini rides. Originally (before the travel arms were installed) the front bimini was 13 feet from the pavement. Afterwards (today) the front bimini was 104” (8’8”) from the pavement when attached to our motorhome.

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This is a view looking forward at the Travel Arm
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And here’s the whole rig!

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Retirement goals!
 
Trailer with the motor down.
 
I'm very interested in this thread as our bimini top came crashing down on a passenger a few weeks ago. Both arms, on both sides, completely sheared in half. Looks as if the frame may have been weakened by the holes that were drilled for the wiring as it broke in the same spot on both sides. We have had trouble getting a quick response from Bennington, and I've reached out to two different dealers, and also exchanged one email with a Bennington customer service rep last Friday, which I sent pics to, but have yet to hear anything from them after follow up emails and a vm. Our pontoon is two years old and we do not trailer it at all, since we live on a small lake, only to/from inside storage in the spring/fall. I wouldn't think this kind of thing should happen on such a new boat. Anyone ever hear of this, or know if this should be a warranty repair?
 

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With failure like that I am guessing warranty for sure.
 
I would think so as well, and I've seen other threads on here about the same issue but at high speeds. We had to have only been going 20 mph. Frustrating that it's taking so long to get anyone to respond. I expected more for the price point on these boats.
 
Wow - I hope the passengers were okay. Something like that could be very dangerous. Having a power bimini ourselves, it’s a good reminder to remain vigilant. We decided not to boat at high speeds with it open due to how much it moves around anyway, regardless of it supposedly being okay to do. Better safe than sorry. However, having failure at 20mph is crazy.
 
Vikingstaff said:
Wow - I hope the passengers were okay. Something like that could be very dangerous. Having a power bimini ourselves, it’s a good reminder to remain vigilant. We decided not to boat at high speeds with it open due to how much it moves around anyway, regardless of it supposedly being okay to do. Better safe than sorry. However, having failure at 20mph is crazy.
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We repeatedly checked on her and seems she was fine but it was very scary and completely unexpected. There was a gust of wind that came out of nowhere but still wouldn't expect that to cause that kind of damage. We do frequently run the boat at higher speeds but never with the top open. Out of curiosity, how do you know its okay to run at higher speeds? I've seen conflicting messages about that here.
 
Well, I guess I should qualify “knowing”: My dealer and people on here said it was okay. I think I also remember, but cannot say with clarity 100%, reading something from Bennington on the matter before purchasing it as an upgrade. However, that time was a good year and a half ago, so I may not be 100% correct with that memory.
 
Vikingstaff said:
Well, I guess I should qualify “knowing”: My dealer and people on here said it was okay. I think I also remember, but cannot say with clarity 100%, reading something from Bennington on the matter before purchasing it as an upgrade. However, that time was a good year and a half ago, so I may not be 100% correct with that memory.
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Thanks. I was just curious. We've had ours for two years, but this is the first time anything like this has ever happened. Like I said though, we don't run it open either. I'm just very disappointed in the lack of response, or response time, since we can't use it at night without the stern light, and we removed the frame to prevent damage or injuries to anyone who might unknowingly grab those jagged edges.
 
My Bimini on my 2016 model snapped in the exact same place and came crashing down when I got caught in a storm. Always have thought it should have never happened. I just claimed through insurance. It damaged my furniture also.
 
Hi Mark,
Let's take this conversation off the chat room and see if Team Bennington can point you in the right direction. The plant was closed last week and Monday was physical inventory day. I'm sure we can get you an expedient answer. You can send a personal message with your dealer name, your hull i..d. and email address. Thanks.
 
Team Bennington said:
Hi Mark,
Let's take this conversation off the chat room and see if Team Bennington can point you in the right direction. The plant was closed last week and Monday was physical inventory day. I'm sure we can get you an expedient answer. You can send a personal message with your dealer name, your hull i..d. and email address. Thanks.
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More than happy to do so, but forgive me I'm new here and unsure how to send a personal message here. This is Kristine Adams, my husband is Mark.
 
Go to the top right side and click on new conversation- send it to Team Bennington.
 
Mark and Kristine Adams said:
Ironically enough I just heard back from the customer service rep. I think we are squared away. Thanks much.
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You should send your info so TB can follow up. Click on Team Bennington and a box will appear then click "start conversation".
 
dannyleininger said:
Here’s a couple more photos. The first one shows how much lower the front bimini rides. Originally (before the travel arms were installed) the front bimini was 13 feet from the pavement. Afterwards (today) the front bimini was 104” (8’8”) from the pavement when attached to our motorhome.

View attachment 21904

This is a view looking forward at the Travel Arm
View attachment 21905

And here’s the whole rig!

View attachment 21906
Click to expand...

I have the similar set up on mine; however, during our drive up to Hot Springs (4.5 hours), I noticed that the front flexed greatly at highway speeds (up to 5 or so inches of flex). I grabbed and extra strap in my truck during one of our stops and wound it around tightly. No more flexing. The wind was creating havoc even with the cover on securely. I'm going to stop by the store and pick up some Velcro straps for our trip home.
 
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